Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Bronze Gods by A.A. Aguirre Cover Reveal, Interview and Giveaway

Today I am honored to be able to share with you the cover of Bronze Gods, the first installment in the Apparatus Infernum series by Ann and Andres Aguirre. I've spent a lot of time staring at this cover and admiring it and I really hope you guys will like it as much as I do.

Below you'll find a short interview with Ann and a giveaway, and make sure to visit the book page on Ann's website where she'll soon post the first chapter.

Expected publication: April 30th 2013 by Ace

Danger stalks the city of steam and shadows.
Janus Mikani and Celeste Ritsuko work all hours in the Criminal Investigation Division, keeping citizens safe. He's a charming rogue with an uncanny sixth sense; she’s all logic—and the first female inspector. Between his instincts and her brains, they collar more criminals than any other partnership in the CID.

Then they’re assigned a potentially volatile case where one misstep could end their careers. At first, the search for a missing heiress seems straightforward, but when the girl is found murdered—her body charred to cinders—Mikani and Ritsuko’s modus operandi will be challenged as never before. Before long, it's clear the bogeyman has stepped out of nightmares to stalk gaslit streets, and it's up to them to hunt him down. There’s a madman on the loose, weaving blood and magic in an intricate, lethal ritual that could mean the end of everything…

Click on the cover to enlarge...

What was it like collaborating with your husband?

It was the best partnership I've ever had. It's fantastic because when one of has an idea, the other is right there to talk it through. Due to other deadlines and his work load from the day job, we ended up rewriting the manuscript in about a month--and let me tell you, that was stressful. But we buckled down and got it finished... then we ended up doing another round of revisions after that. But the finished book is quite wonderful. I can't wait for everyone to read it!

What do you think about the cover? How did it come together?

I've had many lovely covers from Ace over the years, but this is my favorite. I love it SO MUCH; Andres feels the same. These are the characters we've been carrying around for years now.

My editor, Anne Sowards, asked for a great deal of input regarding what we thought it should look like, so Andres and I found some examples of steampunk covers we truly admired, included those, plus detailed descriptions of the leads, ideas for the background, and then we also put Cliff Nielsen on our short list of dream artists. To our utter delight, they ran with our concept and they contracted Mr. Nielsen to do the cover. He brought our vision to life so beautifully that I can't even articulate it. I'm thrilled!

What should readers know about the series? And why steampunk?

Like all my books, there are compelling characters, but readers should know that my husband is especially meticulous about world-building. He comes to it from a gaming perspective, so he's got incredibly detailed charts and graphs. He's working on maps, too, both of the island and the city. Our goal is to offer enough source materials that people could set a roleplaying game in Dorstaad. The writing is also more descriptive and lyrical; and that's Andres's influence as well. Our editor actually commented on how lovely the writing is, which is pretty cool.

I'd call this steampunk noir, actually, because it is, essentially, a detective story set in a neo-Victorian world. There are steampunk elements, but there's also magic, darkness, romance, and action. I hope you'll all check it out!

And because Ann is amazing beyond words, she will pre-order three copies of Bronze Gods for you guys at The Book Depository. My copy is already pre-ordered and I'm insanely excited about it. All you need to do to enter is fill out the Rafflecopter below.
Good luck!EDIT: If the Rafflecopter isn't working AGAIN, just leave a comment about the cover and mention that you're entering the giveaway. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience!

What a gorgeous cover! I'm still relatively new to the steampunk genre, but I do really enjoy it. I also love detective stories plus the Victorian time period. So this book sounds like a win win for me. Thanks for the interview, ladies!

I love this cover Ann! I agree your input has definitely made this one rocking cover, I have yet to read a steampunk novel, but I really like the sound of Bronze Gods! Thanks for a fab post Maja and the giveaway! :)

Janus and Celeste sound like they will be an entertaining pair. This looks set to be a great read! I always find it interesting when authors collaborate with their partners and pretty special too. Thanks for sharing, guys! Wonderful interview. Oh, and of course, amazing cover! :)

Wow, not only is the cover amazing but the book itself sounds fantastic! I admittedly am not a huge steampunk fan but I blame it on the fact I have yet to find a super fantastic one to truly enjoy! I have high hopes for this one. :D

Well, the dude on the cover kind of looks like Matt Smith as the Doctor so I'm totally into that. It is a little reminiscent of some other great steampunk covers I've seen but that's a great thing. This series sounds so exciting!

I love the cover, Ann. The male lead looks quite dashing! It sort of reminds me of the Sherlock Holmes movie with Robert Downey Jr. in it. The series sounds amazing. Thanks for the giveaway Maja and Ann! :)

I loved the Sherlock Holmes movie too! I also love the show with Benedict Cumberbatch (did I spell that correctly) and I've recently started watching Elementary, though it's modern, not Victorian. Clearly I just love Holmes.

People who enjoy Holmes of screen fame should find much to like in Mikani, too.

Steampunk!! Awesome. And steampunk noir? EXTRA awesome. I've heard great things about Aguirre's other books, so this is pretty exciting - and I love the wife-husband writing team! Sounds like the result of such a collaboration should be exciting. I am a fan of this cover, definitely! It definitely reads "steampunk noir", so success!

"He comes to it from a gaming perspective, so he's got incredibly detailed charts and graphs."

AHH! LOVE THIS! I love when the world building is meticulous and you can just picture everything described so easily. This book is going on my list for sure, I adore everything Ann writes, and I'm excited to see what this collaboration with her husband is all about:) Thanks so much for the giveaway Maja and Ann!

Ahh!, I was thinking I was an Aguirre virgin but I am not I have read Enclave. I must get my hands on this! I love the cover because for some reason Western and steampunk always appeal to me, maybe because I have always lived in the Wild West. I love that this a collaboration. Thanks for the giveaway chance, I need a lucky win!

I love the cover of this! Thanks for showcasing this one, Maja, since I might have missed it otherwise and it sounds like something I'd absolutely LOVE. I really can't wait for the release of this now...I need some good steampunk desperately! Not to mention I need to check out Aguirre's adult series ASAP! :)

Love the cover and I think it's really nice doing something like this with your husband. It's great for you both to get to share in what it seems will be an awesome book :) Thank you both for the giveaway.

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